


look at me

by bcvcrly



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments (Movies), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Again, Bisexual Clary Fray, Bisexual Isabelle Lightwood, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gay, M/M, Slow Burn, i hate clace so uh if that’s why ur here then go away, malec and clizzy r all i care about bye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 04:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14804046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bcvcrly/pseuds/bcvcrly
Summary: isabelle agrees to help clary ask out jace, but doing so is bringing out some unfamiliar feelings.....





	look at me

**Author's Note:**

> hi i have seen the city of bones movie & read all the books and i’ve seen SOME episodes of shadowhunters but i’m not super well-versed in the show so some of these things might seem a little ooc if u only watch the show :’)) i tried to combine the different interpretations into how /i/ see the characters

Long ago, Isabelle Lightwood had decided to help her friends with their love lives.

First, it had been Jace at age twelve, bringing home a different girl every day and not knowing what to do with any of them. Izzy had been the one to teach him everything— how to dress and smile and flirt.

Then, it had been her faerie friends: Downworlders who she was forbidden to see, but who adored her anyway. She’d told them all she knew, and they’d taught her a few tricks of their own. Faerie magic was a terrible and beautiful thing, as Isabelle quickly learned.

Most recently, it had been Alec, and Izzy felt a certain fondness for the way her clumsy, quiet brother had grown into himself more after being with Magnus. She was in love with the idea of someone completing another person so fully.

It gave her a sense of accomplishment and excitement to know that _she_ had been the one to help them with these things. That maybe Alec would always be the brain and Jace the brawn, but Isabelle was the _spirit_.

So now, when Clary approached her with that familiar flushed look on her face, Izzy knew exactly what was coming. And she was ready.

The girls were in the library. Clary had her sketchbook in front of her and was meticulously drawing outlines of new runes. And then she looked up, biting her lip and staring intently at Izzy. “I’ve heard,” she said quietly, “that you’ve helped people date in the past.”

“The rumors are true,” Isabelle said, grinning. “So who is it?”

“Oh, um.” Clary tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Jace,” she whispered, as if it were a complete surprise.

As if anyone with eyes couldn’t see the way she looked at him.

“You want to seduce Jace,” Izzy said contemplatively, leaning back in her chair. “Interesting.”

“Maybe don’t use the word ‘seduce’,” Clary said quickly. “More like… win over.”

“Seduce,” Izzy corrected her. “And of course.”

Clary smiled at that. “What will I have to do?”

“I have a method,” Izzy said. As Clary began to laugh, she shook her head solemnly. “It’s not funny. I’m serious! There’s a system.”

“He always has so many other girls around him,” Clary said. “I mean, I couldn’t possibly expect him to notice me when there are so many other op—”

“Rule number one,” Izzy interrupted, “never downplay yourself like that. You’re no less special than any of them.”

Clary stopped speaking, gave Izzy an embarrassed smile, and went back to her sketchbook. Izzy let the silence stretch comfortably between them for a minute, focused on the way Clary’s graphite-stained hand brushed away eraser marks and scarlet hair fanned across the wooden table.

“Hey, Clary,” she said at last. “How about we meet tomorrow to talk about ways you could ask him out?”

“ _I’d_ ask _him_ out?”

“Maybe. Does it matter? Either way, you should still have a few ideas if you ever get the chance.” Isabelle got up from the table and pushed in her chair. “I have a date with Meliorn now, though. I’ll talk to you later.”

* * *

They’d agreed to meet at a restaurant. Isabelle was sure that she, in her black dress and runes, looked out of place amongst the flowers and vines adorning the walls and ceiling. No doubt about it: Meliorn had picked a faerie restaurant.

He was already seated when she walked in, and gave the area around her a furtive glance. The distrust between Shadowhunters and Downworlders had gone on for far too long to be broken by a shallow romance.

Which is what this was. Isabelle believed in love— revered it, even— but she and Meliorn had never found it in each other. It was a physical connection, a distraction from the war around them and conflicts between the different realms. And that was fine by him, and it was fine by her.

To anyone else, they looked like a couple. He got up from his chair and helped her into hers, commented on her dress and asked how she was doing.

“I saw your brother,” he told her, his dark eyes twinkling. “With his Downworlder friend.”

“They’re not friends, Meliorn, and you know that,” Izzy said impatiently before downing her drink. “They’ve been dating for months.”

“Yes,” Meliorn said, and then he was quiet. “I saw your other brother as well. He was here last week.”

Isabelle was confused for a moment before she realized he must mean Jace. “Jace was here?”

Meliorn was looking uncomfortable now. “I’m sorry, I assumed you knew this… with three faerie girls.”

 _Three faerie girls_. Isabelle did not want to think of the implications of that. Jace had never been the most loyal boy, and although he was respectable for his fervor and intensity, Izzy had never been interested in people like that.

“Clary likes him,” she told Meliorn eventually. She knew he wouldn’t say anything to other faeries, but even if he did, Jace would probably take the news as a compliment. If anything, it would bring him closer to Clary.

“The Fairchild,” Meliorn said with mild surprise. “It is interesting. The Seelie Queen believes differently.”

Isabelle’s fork clattered on her plate. “She does?” The Queen was rarely wrong. Unfortunately, faeries’ honesty seemed to extend so far that they could see into other people.

Meliorn shrugged and went back to his food, and Izzy knew better than to pry. They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

Being with Meliorn was satisfying. Deep down, Izzy knew that a real relationship would be more fulfilling, but Meliorn was a placeholder, someone to keep loneliness at bay. It was the way their relationship had always gone, and she knew it was the same for him.

It reminded her of the many bookends of the Institute's library, intending to hold up the other books even though the wooden blocks themselves had no substance.

“I should get back soon,” she said when their plates had been taken away and the sky was beginning to darken. “Thank you for the meal, Meliorn.”

They stood and he kissed her.

“I will see you next week,” he reminded her.

Next week. And the week after that. And the week after that.

Meliorn, her placeholder. Isabelle didn’t even know what (or _who_ ) she was waiting for.

“See you next week,” she said as she left.

**Author's Note:**

> pls leave me comments and kudos if u liked this!


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